Centrifuges for continuously feeding and removing liquid from lubrication-impregnated metal chips or shavings are well known in the art and the teachings in Hultsch et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,233,735, Steimel U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,318, Dudley U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,814 and Dudley et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,176, are representative teachings of such structures. In the latter disclosure, a plurality of blades are provided in the bottom of the separator bowl. However, these blades in the bottom of the separator bowl are inadequate for generating the desired air flow through the centrifuge. In addition, the chips have a tendency to bounce when they strike the bottom wall of the separator bowl and bounce over the top of the blades. The chips usually continue to bounce along the sidewall of the separator bowl and out through the outlet. This bouncing phenomena does not enable the blades to impart a movement with the sidewall of the chip wringer and, as a result, there is insufficient tangential velocity imparted to the chip at the time it reaches the chip discharge edge on the separating bowl. As a result, the slow moving chips will interfere with the faster moving chips and clogging of the chips at the outlet will occur.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a blade construction inside a separator bowl which will impart a tangential velocity to a majority of the chips passing through the centrifuge and simultaneously generate a sufficient air flow to entrain the chips adjacent the outlet therein so that the chips will be thrown a substantial distance out of the outlet.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a blade construction which will generate a sufficient amount of air flow and be readily incorporated into existing separator bowls with a minimum of difficulty.
It is a further object of this invention to provide structure for mounting the blades in the bottom of the separator bowl, which structure will effect an automatic movement of the blades relative to the internal wall surface of the separator bowl in response to the blades engaging extraordinarily large objects in the metal shavings, such as rod ends, workmen's tools and the like, which, from time to time, become embodied within the metal shavings.
It is a further object of this invention to specifically provide additional blades on the blades mounted within the separator bowl for effecting greater air movement within the chamber normally provided for collecting chips so that the chips will become entrained in such air movement and driven out through an outlet duct to a distant location.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a blade support structure, as aforesaid, which can be readily included in existing equipment at a minimum of expense.